moisture in dryer vent and door

monkeygirl

I am having similar issues as others on here with my dryer. My dryer heats and the drum rotates. It does not dry the clothes. When I open the door there is excessive moisture on it. I pulled the dryer from wall and found moisture in the vent line. I checked the line going outside (it goes up into and across the attic to the outside). The vent at the outside is clear (at least until it bends downward) and it is clear at the base. Is it possible there is a blockage somewhere in the vertical line? If so, how do I clear this? Will an air compressor work? I am at a loss here. There is no back panel on the dryer so I cannot check inside the dryer without taking it completely apart. I have however cleaned the trap and used a lint tool to remove as much as I could past the trap. Help!!

Stubbie

Does the dryer blow air out the exterior vent?

__________________
" One nice thing about the NEC articles ... you have lots of choices"

Stubbie

monkeygirl

that I didnt check. I am waiting for it to dry out a bit. I will do that in a few. Thanks.

Chemist1961

Suggest you detach from your vent and run a small load timed and another on auto. If it runs forever on auto you have likely got a humidity sensor issue or blockage at the dryer itself. If it runs timed and stays damp you likely have blockage aas the timed cycle will not shut off when the internal hunidty drops. If you unplug and with help, gentley tip the dryer forward you will see the vent tube... generally underneath. If this is obstucted humidity will remain in the dryer and cause these symptoms. If your timed and auto loads dry when disconnected, your blockage is likely to be further up the vent.

monkeygirl

ok i will try that first. Do I need to connect anything to the back where the vent hose goes or is it safe to run one load with nothing there?

Chemist1961

you could stretch an old nylon over it to trap lint. wherever you point it it should blow fairly haevily so don't aim it near cat litter, powder detergent or straight at a wall,etc. Use a small load well spun in the washer.

monkeygirl

Thank you, I ran a load, it seems to be drying and it is blowing hot air out of the back. So now i guess its in the ducts going up into the attic. Im glad its not in the dryer but now I don't know what to do about the clog running up into the attic.

Stubbie

You need to get a dryer duct cleaning brush like below if the venting is clogged. These are usually 10 feet long so you may have to go from both directions to bust the lint loose so it will blow out when the dryer is reconnected.

__________________
" One nice thing about the NEC articles ... you have lots of choices"

Stubbie

rgsgww

There are tools that you can clean the vent with. A cleaning set costs around $15-20. I'm no expert with this, more in electrical. I would like to see what everyone else says.

Chemist1961

Good start. That tool looks great. If you head up to the attic check for kinks. Blockage frequently occurs at a turn or kink or joint. You may be able to put a gentle turn in your vent hose with a metal elbow secured with heat resistant duct tape, the FOIL type. Check your local building codes if required before altering the venting.

Chemist1961

Find any missing socks?

DUDE!

From a safety stand point, you really should try to shorten that vent run, ask any fireman. If your stuck keeping it, try using a wet-vac, break the line and run the hose through it, you can always add a coupler to reconnect the line. And even if the hose is not the cause of your problem, changing the length of the line is best to do.

__________________
LIVING THE DREAM

kbsparky

Dryer exhaust vent lines going through cold attics can have condensation problems. Lots of hot, humid air is traveling through there, and with the cold ambient temperatures of an attic in winter, that moisture can condense out on the insides of your vent lines.

This moisture can then leak back downhill into your dryer, especially if the air flow is restricted by excessive lint or other blockage in the vent pipes.

If you can access those vent lines, see if you can disassemble them, and clean them out, as suggested in another reply above. A good shop vac, and that brush assembly can go a long way towards getting your vent pipes breathing again.

Lastly, if you have a long run of "flex" vent pipes, consider installing some hard pipe, with smooth a interior. Less chance of catching stray lint particles that way. You also may want to insulate some of that vent line to minimize the condensation of moisture while still in the attic. You want the moisture to condense only after exiting the structure.

InPhase277

I don't fancy the idea of a vertical dryer vent. Is there any possible way that you can re-route it so that it goes straight out, or at least stays horizontal?